James is a retired U.S. Air Force pilot with time in the T-37B, T-38A, KC-135A, EC-135J (Boeing 707), E-4B (Boeing 747) and C-20A/B/C (Gulfstream III). Since turning civilian, he has flown the CL-604, Gulfstream GIV, GV, G450, and now the GVII-G500. He is the webmaster and principal author at Code7700.com
The primary purpose of investigating any aircraft accident is to prevent recurrence. Legal teams may wrestle with "who" when assigning blame, but investigators are focused on the "why" to make sure the "what" never happens again.
The pilot breed has in it the primal instinct to attempt every assigned task, no matter the odds of success. Like many of our innate urges, this proclivity must be kept in check because in an airplane, acting on it can be deadly.
There are at least three strategies for dealing with airport departure obstacles, each valid in its own way but each with limitations that must be understood to maximize safety margins.
